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A Piece of 'Drive'

Welcome to a small piece of my project, 'Drive'. This is featured within the first chapter. Please enjoy.
~~~*~
I know you’ve been there.

I know you’ve been swept into a storm when you stepped onto your porch, expecting a sunny day.

I know you’ve struggled against a wave when you expected calm tides.

Yeah, I know you’ve been there. I’ve been there too.

My best friend and I moved into a new Realm, thinking that we would bring our dreams to life without a single problem.

Damn it, were we wrong.

When we stepped into the Ardigo Realm, we didn’t expect to land in the center of a tornado. When one hears of golden shores and calm waters, one does not expect to end up amongst raging tides. Oh sure, the sun was high and mighty for a minute, but things changed in the blink of an eye.
Before we knew it, we were cast into the squall of the ages.

Wanna know more? Well, follow me. You’ll be amazed to see how easy it is to change a world’s fate.

-Tobias Halmuron
~~~*~
Stage One: Initiation

The eyes of Illian Maldas scanned his current environment, searching for a defect that would have earned instant elimination. Gales of bloodied, broken bodies were scattered throughout the streets he had been assigned to, but none of them were earning any pity from the duteous officer. Without a single emotion in his eyes, he focused upon the possible discovery of a living body-a flame he most certainly would have snuffed out, without the slightest bit of hesitation. His eyes weren’t without an assistant, however. On the very end of his nose sat a black visor, one that enabled him to view the information he needed.

Crimson red smoke lingered within the air as he surveyed the bloodied streets, ignoring the secretive language of the elusive wisps as he continued his search. A minute elapsed before he found himself releasing a sigh, a smile spreading across his face. Turning to his teammates, he spoke in a voice that held the aftermath of a long, hard struggle.
“Well done, men.” he began, smiling. “Not a single bug has been left alive. Looks to me like they’ve all been wiped out.”

“Are we certain about that, sir?” a younger officer, one that was clearly ready to impress all but lacked the knowledge to truly do so, asked. Trying to keep himself composed, he clutched his weapon of choice to his chest. “Shouldn’t you run another scan? I mean, there’s the possibility of a ‘bluff’, sir. Some of them could be playing it safe, just to keep out of danger.”

Illian scowled at the other’s words instantly, wiping away the other’s concern with the wave of a hand. Speaking in a tone that demanded unwavering respect from the members of his squadron, he pierced the other’s face with his eyes. “Ah, the possibility of finding a single breath amongst our group is nil.” the officer assured the younger one. “There’s no chance of finding a twitching body amongst that sea of blood. And even if there was, would you enjoy stomping on that particular bug?”

At those words, the younger officer stiffened. Fear had caused him to silence himself. Illian took the opportunity to continue, bearing an almost fatherly grin about his face. “I didn’t think so, Lieutenant Fordescue.” he said merrily, silvery green eyes twinkling. “Technology doesn’t lie, and even if my Life Scan is on the fritz, why bother? We’ve spent enough time gunning these cockroaches down. Let them rot where they are, dead or alive. I couldn’t care less.”

Lieutenant Fordescue answered him with silence, still holding his gun as though it were his lifeline. Fear soared through his amber brown eyes as he listened to the dirges of the streets-the frantic storm of footsteps, the orders of Guardians piercing the air, the requests for support. His eyes frenetically scanned the environment as those sounds continued, drawing him deeper and deeper into a world he felt fated to die in.

Many others had already lost their lives. Not a single shred of compassion fell onto the slaughtered souls, though. They were the recipients of anger, excitement and indifference, all because they had passed from the world they had inhabited. The streets of their world were plagued with their bodies, drowning in the sea only known as blood. Guardians throughout the Ardigo Realm were examining their assigned areas, happy to see that none of their prey had made it out alive. So many had lost their lives at the end of old-fashioned weapons-flamethrowers and guns included-and the world they had dwelled in had been responsible for wiping them out.

The Realm had targeted a group of residents, giving them a time limit to escape from a world that no longer them. Discarding the modern weaponry of the Ardigo Realm, all Guardians took up arms and forced the unwanted beings from their homes-giving them mere minutes to reach a ravaged Sector of the Realm. The North, South and West Sectors were soaked in thick bloodbaths in a matter of seconds, due to the bullets that ripped through the cold air-and the blades that pierced the skin of many. Screams went by uncared for, only bringing about greater excitement from the Realm’s Guardians. Hands were trampled upon in desperate attempts to flee, resulting in accidental killings as the insects fled from their homes. Not a single soul was spared in those events; even children were the victims of gunfire and blades, dying even within the arms of their parents.

The world they had dwelled in, the world they believed to be a shelter, had now become a haven of blood. Regardless of the massive slaughter, however, they were survivors. Weary feet and broken bodies had managed to flee from the chaos, entering the Sector they had been forced to accept as their new home. Despite the glimmer of hope that had been born upon the forced discovery of their new home, anguish prevailed. Their new home, which had been the Realm’s most beautiful Sector prior to the chaos, had been transformed into a desolate wasteland. The ether was not the proud blue it had once been-it had been turned into an ocean of scarlet blood, one that led the Sector’s inhabitants to eternal despondency. Not a single bird could be found within the air, for only the insect kingdom saw fit to walk amongst the devastation. The animal kingdom assumed that it would instantly die off in such an environment, and they had every right to believe so.

The native inhabitants of the East Sector weren’t detached from the day’s bloodbaths. Clouds of hatred had brewed within the previously bountiful Sector, and it had unleashed itself against the unwanted insects of that very Sector. Determined to keep themselves pure, the angered inhabitants did everything they could to extinguish-or at least subdue-the bugs of their Sector. The old fashioned methods of Earth weren’t utilized here, though. Arts of every element were used against the enemies, ranging from Flame to Thunder.

The casting names of Arts pierced the cold air as screams ripped themselves from throats, pleas went by unnoticed and triumphant smiles flooded every home. Not even Sanctums were safe from the annihilation-High Priests, Priestesses and their Apprentices, if they opposed the new order of the Realm, had their lives taken without a moment to defend themselves. Even children participated in the slaughter, unable to use potent Arts but able to utilize the power of words. One word was a large favorite amongst the children.